What I've learned so far on my coaching journey + spreading the love.
It’s been a year since I became a Certified Health Coach.
I remember starting this journey and being so scared and so excited at the same time. I finally knew what I wanted to do with my life. I had been battling with this since I started applying to colleges in high school. Pick a major? An internship? A career? I had no idea how to do that. My heart was interested in so many different things and at the same time my mind kept going back to, “doctor, lawyer, teacher.” As if those are the only three options in this world. After realizing medical school wasn’t the path for me, it was too late to fully change my major, so I landed on psychology. I already had all my science credits done and I really enjoyed my intro to psych class freshman year, so sure, let’s give it a whirl.
I really did love it.
Senior year was packed full of psych courses and I was soaking it all in. I had an incredible professor for my Women’s Mental Health class that really took the cake for me, but when it came time to make a decision about my future and the possibility of grad school, I wasn’t ready to fully commit.
After I graduated in 2012 from the University of Colorado at Boulder (go buffs!), I followed my best friends to Washington, D.C. and after searching and searching through hundreds of “Entry Level Sales & Marketing” jobs, I was hired as an Account Coordinator at a PR startup. The atmosphere was fun and flexible, we worked in a shared office space, so I was able to meet a lot of new people, and it was just myself and the owner of the company, so I got down in the trenches real quick. After almost a year in DC though, my need to know exactly what I was supposed to be doing with my life took over. I was so overwhelmed and so confused about what lied ahead for me. I was convinced that every other person in my life new EXACTLY what they wanted to do and what it took to get there, and I was just the odd man out.
So, in September 2013, I packed up my bags and moved back to Columbus, Ohio with my parents. I took some time to regroup and did some freelance work, and a couple of months later, I got hired at a small digital marketing agency. Awesome vibe, cool workspace, great people (for the most part), and again, small company, so I was in the trenches real quick. I learned a lot at this agency and grew up a lot too, but there was still something missing. After a while, I didn’t get that hit of excitement to go into work every day and slowly but surely, I realized this company was draining every ounce of my energy and nothing was fully replenishing me.
Taking the leap.
My entire life I have been interested in sports, fitness, and the way we think, and in college, my interest in nutrition sparked. So, I started going back to those very things in my head – should I go back to school and become a nutritionist? Dietitian? Counselor? I talked to several admissions advisors and researched a handful of different programs, but nothing quite clicked.
This went on for a few years until I found Intuitive Eating in April 2017. This work felt so right for me. It clicked instantly. And after a couple months of research, I found health coaching, and in September 2017, I found the Health Coach Institute and the Become a Health Coach program. I started this program in October 2017 and finished in May 2018. During this time, I was very sheepish about my health coaching. I didn’t want anyone to know about it who didn’t have to. Honestly, the only reason people knew is 1) my parents because they paid for it (very grateful for this), and 2) my best friend because she was doing it with me (also grateful for this).
I was so excited for this opportunity and felt so strongly that this was what I wanted to do in my life and make my career, that I was too scared to share it. I thought if I talked about the things I really wanted in my life, I’d jinx them, and they’d never come true.
Embracing my own coach.
In October 2018, I found myself struggling hard. It had been a year since I started my health coaching program, it had been 5 months since I graduated, and I hadn’t done a single thing. I was paralyzed by the overwhelm of all of the things I needed to do to launch a business and, most importantly, where to get started. I took a leap of faith and trusted in coaching so much that I hired my own coach to mentor me and help me launch my dream business.
I instantly felt like things were going to be okay. I had someone to guide me, someone who had been in my EXACT spot before, someone that would hold me accountable, cheer me on, listen to me, and support me when I was struggling. I had someone who understood what I was going through, what I needed, and who believed in me more than I believed in myself.
I finally had a clear path toward the vision I had been dreaming up for so long.
The launch.
I started and launched Kathleen Layer Coaching, LLC in February 2019, broke ties with my digital marketing company, moved to a new city, started working with my first clients, and will be learning from the best & brightest transformational mindset coaches through a Mastery Program that starts this summer (yes, I’m nerding out on this stuff, but it’s going to be SO good).
I can’t believe how much has happened in such a short period of time. I can’t believe it’s only been one year since I became a Certified Health Coach. And I can’t believe that every day I get to work on expanding something I care so deeply about and am so passionate about.
If I could give one pice of advice.
If I were to give one piece of advice to anyone out there trying to make a decision or feeling lost and confused about where they’re supposed to be, it’s that you’re there. That no matter how frustrating, or scary, or difficult something feels, you’re EXACTLY where you’re meant to be. All of the tiny parts and pieces and moments in your life that seem so insignificant or hard, are the exact moments that are leading you to the person and place you’re meant to be.
I am far from reaching my big goals, but every single day I’m showing up for myself and putting in the work to get there. I’m so grateful for how far I’ve come AND for the exact place I’m in right now. If all we do is focus on the end game, we’ll miss out on all the goodness that comes in the journey to get there; and that’s where all the best stuff is.
Don’t be afraid to be yourself, don’t be afraid to tell and to show people who you are because who you are being in every moment matters way more than what you’re doing and how you’re getting there.
My Mission + The New FREE Facebook Community!
My mission is to create a world that empowers women to fully embrace every inch of their body so they can break free from the barriers of diet culture and make space for the life they are meant to live.
In order to spread this message as far and wide as possible, I’m launching a Free, Private Facebook Group called, Feed Your Soul, Fuel Your Life.
Each week, I’ll be going in live and coaching through topics that either you share with me as a member, or I share through experience as a Certified Health Coach and Intuitive Eating Counselor. These “lives” will act as a door to open conversation and connection between all of us as members of the group. This is a safe space for women to find peace with food, movement, and their bodies, and let’s be honest, who couldn’t use more of that?
I cannot wait to get started with this group! I opened the doors to my email subscribers only last week (so, if you want the goods early next time you can subscribe here) and gave them a special perk that I’m extending to y’all!
The first 25 members to join this group will be automatically entered to win a FREE 45-minute coaching session with me. We’ll dive deep into whatever you need support with, and if there’s nothing that comes to mind, I will gladly start and guide the conversation. These first spots are going fast, so come and join the party!
The content will roll out the first week of June (can’t believe that’s in two weeks) and everything will flow from there :) I cannot wait to see this group inspire and amaze me far beyond my own vision.
It’s time to change the way we think about ourselves and our value as women through our physical appearance. We are SO much more than our bodies, ladies, and I am honored to share this message with you.
Can’t wait to see you in Feed Your Soul, Fuel Your Life! You can join by clicking here.
xoxo,
Kathleen